The Gibbes Museum of Art Hosts Artist Conversation and Book Signing

with Mary Whyte and Martha Severens

(Charleston, South Carolina) – On September 9, 2013, The University of South Carolina Press will release a biography on nationally acclaimed Charleston artist Mary Whyte titled, More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte. Written by Martha R. Severens, esteemed author and former curator of the Greenville County Museum of Art, the biography features Whyte’s works spanning 50 years, from childhood to present day.

Watercolor artist Mary Whyte is a teacher and author whose figurative paintings have earned national recognition. Her portraits are included in numerous corporate, private, and university collections, as well as in the permanent collections of South Carolina’s Greenville County Museum of Art and the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston. Whyte’s work has been featured in International Artist, Artist, American Artist, Watercolor, American Art Collector, L’Art de l’Aquarelle, and many other publications. Whyte is the author of two books published by the University of South Carolina Press – Working South: Paintings and Sketches by Mary Whyte and Down Bohicket Road: An Artist’s Journey. She is also the author of Alfreda’s World, Painting Portraits and Figures in Watercolor, An Artist’s Way of Seeing, and Watercolor for the Serious Beginner. Her work can be found at Coleman Fine Art in Charleston. In 2013, Whyte was awarded the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Award, South Carolina’s highest award in the arts. She writes, “The binding commonness of our emotions is what drives me to keep painting, to keep exploring, and to want to demonstrate that painting a true portrait is far more than just capturing a likeness.”

Martha R. Severens, an art historian, served as curator of the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, South Carolina, from 1976-1987. She also served as curator at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, and the Greenville County Museum of Art in South Carolina. She has published studies of Charles Fraser, Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Andrew Wyeth, Greenville’s Southern Collection, and the Charleston Renaissance.

Collector’s Edition
Only 100 editions are available of the exclusive “Collector’s Edition” which includes an original 7 x 9 inches drawing, and comes in a handcrafted, clamshell box made in the USA by artisan Cathy Durso. Only 100 “Collector’s Editions” will be made and are available for $1,400. The original drawing in each “Collector’s Edition” can be personally chosen from Whyte’s website, www.marywhyte.com or at Coleman Fine Art, 79 Church Street, (843) 853-7000.
A copy of the Collector’s Edition will be available for purchase at the book signing.

October 2, 6pm: Panel discussion and book signing followed by a reception. Two women who have modeled for Mary Whyte will participate in the presentation: Tesha Marsland of Johns Island has been painted by Mary for over twenty years and is featured on the cover of Mary\'s book, Down Bohicket Road. Jane Hogg is on the cover of the biography, More Than a Likeness, and is a beekeeper in Simpsonville, SC. Her portrait was included in the recent exhibition, Working South, which was on view at the Gibbes Museum from May – September, 2012.

For details and to purchase tickets go to gibbesmuseum.org/events or call 843.722.2706 x21.$20 Members, $30 Non-Members

GIBBES MUSEUM OF ART
Established as the Carolina Art Association in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 1905.

Located in Charleston’s historic district, the Gibbes houses a premier collection of over 10,000 works of fine art, principally American works with a Charleston or Southern connection and presents special exhibitions annually. In addition, the museum offers an extensive complement of public programming and educational outreach initiatives.

As the aesthetic heart of the Lowcountry, the Gibbes serves the community by stimulating creative expression, increasing economic vitality through tourism, and improving the region’s superb quality of life.